J&A's Brittanys - The Art of Anticipation

Can you spot Bullet?  September 2008

ANTICIPATION : a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen: the act of preparing for something.

There are several hopeful families at this juncture including my own! There are at least two families who have had or currently have a J&A's Brittany starting this journey with us all over again. I am reading over new questionnaires as they arrive and then referring to John for his opinion as well.

ATB Family at a Hunt Test

It is our preference that the majority if not all pups from any given litter will be going to bird hunting homes but an exceptional pet home is always a requirement! Hunting season is only a couple of months each year. A Brittanys natural instincts cannot be turned on or off so in the off season we also desire involvement in American Kennel Club (AKC) and/or North American Versatile Hunting Dogs Association (NAVHDA) hunt testing. This is not to control the future of any dog we have bred. It is to ensure you and your Brittany will have the best relationship possible!  It also will show that our breeding program is consistent from generation to generation.  Hunt tests are NOT competitive in nature and shouldn't be perceived as such.  It's about having fun with your Brittany, letting the bond between you become stronger, learning from each other. A great place to start learning more about them is AKC Pointing Breeds Hunt Test.  Pups can be entered in an AKC hunt test at 6 months of age! Brittanys from our program have earned their Junior Hunting title at just 2 weeks shy of their 6 months birthday!  Take a look back at some "Braggin' Rights" about several J&A's Brittanys and their owners at various stages.  The majority of these owners were brand new to hunt tests!  (As you read beyond the photographs to what I wrote you'll see where our anticipation for a litter of pups was growing.)  Our pups will be registered with AKC and also with NAVHDA.  They can be tested at an even younger age.  The first level of testing is called the Natural Ability. There are local NAVHDA chapters that meet for training on a regular basis. And there's always an opportunity to hook up with other dog owners with pointing breeds through various clubs including local Brittany clubs as well. Likewise, we're available to help teach you as well.  The thing is, the natural instincts are there, they are proven to be strong and you have a window of opportunity to continue to develop and fine tune them!  The training and the testing are also a wonderful opportunities for the entire family.  Here's additional photos and a look back  to past field events.  We are "All for the love of the dog, both given and received" and are sincerely interested in setting our puppy people up for success right from the beginning.  Pups born in June or July will have so much fun because by the time they are 8 weeks old we'll have introduced them to birds and had some fun in the field with them!  

Ann & Hemi (Holly
and Toph's sire)

Holly field trial major win.

A friend of mine wrote this great article about the Brittany as a dual dog. In every litter there exists the potential for a puppy as a show or field trial prospect. As we identify this we'll discuss it further with you. While our personal focus since 1986 has been on the Brittany as a close working gundog for the walking upland game hunter we actively promote our breed as a dual dog. We will absolutely guide and support a puppy owner who wishes to further pursue this.

Thank you for following along!  As always take care and God bless, John, Ann and our canine crew.